Birthed from the depths of the sweaty basements of Boston, Massachusetts, deranged rock outfit GUERILLA TOSS is nowadays considered to be a New England underground staple by the freaks and weirdos that inhabit the region. The band has churned out numerous cassettes, records, and CDs in the past two years on on labels such as Feeding Tube Records, John Zorn's Tzadik, Louisville's Sophomore Lounge, and Digitalis Ltd. By touring relentlessly and providing their audience with an unforgettably intense live show that demands, and encourages, ravaging physical body movement of the listener, 'Gtoss' has quickly garnered a cult following of loyal servants. Their newest record, Gay Disco, is an album that draws influence from new wave and no wave dance music, extreme dementia, drug problems, and absurdist humor. However, in the midst of the chaos, it is clear that the compositions are well-crafted and spout from the minds of educated individuals while avoiding the common esoteric pitfalls that could be associated with their sound. Kassie Carlson's ferocious vocals run the gamut of the human voice, blasting with jet engine shrieking and boiling over with urgency, while at the same time presenting a demented and direct spoken narrative with surreal conversational lyrics. Peter Negroponte's full force drumming spews forth alongside her like a tentacled beast, battling off fits of rage and panicking between four-on-the-floor dance beats and controlled, pounding trashcan thrash. Guitarists Simon Hanes and Arian Shafiee duel to the death with angular and jagged riffs ping-ponging between each other while keeping pace with dancey stabs of clanging string shrapnel.

Self-described "Reclusive, bizarro, spazz-rockers from Louisville, KY," HUMONGOUS are one of our town's best-kept musical secrets. What shouldn't be secret is that their most recent LP, Miniature Pinschers, absolutely slays, and that they're one of the best live bands 'round these -- or any -- parts.

Lexington, KY's MA TURNER is the man. Born in Louisville in 1977, MA TURNER is the guitarist/co-founder of Salad Influence, Human Process and CROSS as well as multi-instrumentalist/founder of Warmer Milks. Turner has been making art under various guises and styles since 1981. His upcoming release, ZOZ COLLECTION, was recorded between January-December of 2013 with the sole intention of keeping an “audio diary of the life that lies beyond human consciousness”, and “getting further in touch with the self through prayer and mediation via sound performance”. Incorporating various western and eastern styles, most of the material was loosely arranged and executed on the spot using improvisation/”automatic writing” techniques as well as “cut-up” and “blind recording” methods. Multiple tracks were recorded with no relation to one another, merely glued together last minute. Some showcase hours of recording multiple parts side by side and hours spent mixing while others consist of capturing a single sound in real time and then quickly tweaking afterward. ZOZ COLLECTION houses twelve cassettes cased inside a handmade wall hanging (constructed late 2013/early 2014) and feature eighty-three compositions, making up roughly six hours of sound. The tape covers as well as accompanying booklets have all been hand drawn, screened printed, collaged and painted by Turner throughout 2013. Said booklet contains extensive liner/technical notes as well as art and lyrics. To celebrate the collection, the ZOZ 12” vinyl compilation (featuring a track from every cassette) is being released via the Sophomore Lounge, Karmic Swamp and Brave Captain labels in February 2014.

Burlington, Vermont’s RYAN POWER makes stunningly outré pop music imbued with strange funk and damaged soul. Ryan has been self-producing and releasing music since 2002 until “I Don’t Want To Die”, his fifth album overall and debut LP for NNA Tapes in 2012. On his earliest albums, his gift for song craftsmanship was apparent through his breezy Brazilian infested jazz pop. His music has since shifted towards highly evolved and unfolding pop compositions. Power’s harmonic puzzles turned into pop hooks are accompanied by his blunt personal lyrics which address contemporary issues such as fear of death, hypochondria, materialism, the music industry, environmental destruction, lust, self evaluation, and identity crises. Ryan’s latest “Identity Picks” for NNA Tapes is a 8 song cycle that moves through lush jazz pads, a sensitive side of progressive rock, and aquatic smooth jazz funk styles. According to Power the eight songs on the album were written “to help give my life meaning”.

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 1 guest

You cannot post new topics in this forumYou cannot reply to topics in this forumYou cannot edit your posts in this forumYou cannot delete your posts in this forumYou cannot post attachments in this forum